If you’ve ever donated to GoServ Global based here in Eagle Grove, you are part of an amazing thing that happened in our town on Saturday, May 30, 2020.
This story of compassion and the kindness of strangers begins back on Tuesday, May 26, when the tornado sirens went off in Eagle Grove shortly after 3:30 p.m. As many people took shelter, others in the country on the south side of Eagle Grove pulled out their phones and captured proof that a tornado was in fact located on the northwest side of Woolstock and headed straight for Eagle Grove. The National Weather Service later classified it as an EF-1 tornado with winds reaching as high as 110 miles per hour. While most homes and businesses escaped with no damage at all, there were a few branches and small limbs down on the east side of the City of Eagle Grove. It didn’t look bad at all…at least from the streets.
But the backyard of Trish Backer, a recent widow who had just purchased a home on the southeast side of Eagle Grove a few weeks ago told a much different story. Backer wasn’t there when the storm passed through, and found out about the destruction when she received a phone call from the people who had helped her move some stuff…people she said she didn’t even know three months ago.
“It was just devastating. I didn’t know which way to turn at the time,” she said about the damage and the fact that she really knew no one in town. “Then all of these people that I didn’t know came to help me. It’s just surreal and I appreciate it so much.”
Those people came thanks to her neighbor, Beth Wilson, who mentioned it at their Grace E Free board meeting on that next Thursday evening. Paul van Gorkom, the executive director of GoServ Global, also happened to be at the meeting that night.
“We got on the phones and got some people willing to come,” said van Gorkom.
One of the people they called was Dennis Anderson, director of domestic disaster relief for GoServ who came with others from an hour-and-a-half away to help.
On Saturday, May 30, the GoServ Global team from near and far came to help a complete stranger. Members of the Grace E Free Church, as well as other Eagle Grove community members, also showed up in Backers backyard to lend a helping hand and show her what community and kindness is really all about. They showed up with chain saws and skid loaders and a determination to put things back to normal for this new resident of Eagle Grove. They pulled out poles stuck in the ground, removed large tree limbs, scooped up branches and debris…and placed them in one of two dump trucks, one brought in by Wilson’s brother-in-law, Duane.
“That was phenomenal that Duane brought over his dump trailer as well, that way we didn’t have to wait to keep working while they went to go dump the GoServ truck,” said van Gorkom.
It took 16 volunteers three hours to accomplish a job that will be appreciated for a lifetime by Backer.
That was unbelievably wonderful what they did. I am so happy for her,” said Barb Jones, who Backer bought the house from. “She just bought the house on May 8 and to have this happen just a little over 2 weeks later, I can’t imagine.”
“This is a great example of a community helping each other out,” added van Gorkom. I want to thank the volunteers that joined forces with GoServ Global to accomplish this job…I love it when we can help people in our own community.”
“Everybody did such an awesome job,” she said. “Thank you! Thank you!”
